Presidency fires back at Labour: Stop lying, deceiving Nigerians -Tinubu didn’t promise he wouldn’t increase fuel price 

 

 

The Presidency has accused the Organised Labour of falsely claiming that President Bola Tinubu promised them that his administration would not increase the pump price of fuel.

 

 

The Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, and the Trade Union Congress, TUC, had accused President Tinubu of betrayal and reneging on his promise not to increase fuel price, which made Labour accept N70,000 as New minimum wage.

 

 

Ajaero, who demanded immediate reversal of the new fuel price regime, stated: “We are filled with a deep sense of betrayal as the Federal Government clandestinely increases the pump price of PMS. One of the reasons for accepting N70,000 as national minimum wage was the understanding that the pump price of PMS would not be increased even as we knew that N70,000 was not sufficient.

 

 

“We recall vividly when Mr President gave us the devil’s alternatives to choose from: either N250,000 as minimum wage (subject to the rise of the pump price between N1,500 and N2,000) and N70,000 (at old pms rates), we opted for the latter because we could not bring ourselves to accept further punishment on Nigerians.”

 

 

However, Abdulaziz Abdulaziz, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Print Media, on Tuesday, said at no time did the president make such a promise during the New National Minimum Wage negotiations.

 

 

He accused Labour of playing dirty politics and deceit, contending that there was no discussion as regards fuel price increases in exchange for minimum wage.

 

 

“I sat through the two meetings President Bola Tinubu had with Labour leaders on minimum wage. At neither of the meetings was an offer made in exchange for fuel price hike. Ajaero is once again playing his dirty politics with the emotions of Nigerians,” Abdulaziz wrote in his X handle.